I started this site because so many of the frugal food sites I love are just jam-packed with recipes that are decidedly un-kosher. And lots of other frugal living sites are extremely religious, and not in a Jewish way. And that just wasn’t working for me. I hope that I can share some ways to be frugal AND kosher. And share some of my thoughts about our life since making Aliyah. Oh, and if you share my recipes, menus, musings, etc, please link back to this blog. Thank you.

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

I could use some help from all of you out there tonight!

I'd like to compile a list of websites that offer low cost or free shipping to Israel, where your package does not come via Fedex (Fedex usually charges "clearance" fees), but rather goes through the mail.

Hoping for retailers that have good prices and can save us money vs. buying a comparable product in this country.

I used to love buying Israeli, but lately, I just feel that far too often the prices are inflated in an out of control way...

I have several entries on my list already, but I'd love to hear about some others! Let me know if you have had a positive experience bringing in online purchases!

Right now, you can get a free gluten-free baking cookbook.
Probably not suitable for Pesach if you don't eat kitniyot, but from what I understand, many people with celiac are allowed to eat kitniyot on Pesach, even if they are Ashkenazi. (I haven't looked through the whole thing. No promises it is Kosher. You may have to make some substitutions.)
Or else just use it after Pesach!

Use code SPRING at checkout.
(Unfortunately, you must register for an account on this site in order to complete this non-purchase. But the pictures are so pretty, soon you'll forget the 45 seconds you took filling out the registration info...)

Back in the old country, as some of you may know, I used to answer online surveys, and I'd be paid pocket change ($3-$5 per survey) via PayPal. Well, I am not longer eligible to answer US based surveys and I'm missing my pocket change!I decided to break through the language barrier (after all, I am relatively proficient in Hebrew), and I signed up for an Israeli survey site. This site works differently than what I had gotten used to - they don't pay in cash. You earn points which can be converted into "Tavey Kniyah", vouchers. I have no idea which stores these vouchers will be accepted at, but I love the idea of having survey-funded pocket change again!Interested?Click here to sign up! (The site is all in Hebrew, fair warning. But really not so hard to figure out)

Pesach is coming! Pesach is coming!
(Pesach is Passover, for those unfamiliar with it, it is by far the most labor intensive Jewish holiday, and requires a complete change-over to special Kosher for Passover kitchen items - all of them. Foods considered chametz are not allowed, and in addition, some people don't eat Kitniyot - which is mostly rice, legumes, and some seeds. We try to use up all of our chametz before Pesach, as we are not allowed to eat or even own chametz over Pesach...)

Tuesday night: Crock Pot potato and vegetable stew, rice and lentils, make your own salad (we have some lettuce, purple cabbage, carrots, cucumbers, and oranges - that I will dress with honey and cinnamon)

Wednesday night: pizza, homemade french fries, make your own salad

Thursday night: Some sort of soup in the crock pot, Pasta with black bean "meatballs" and tomato sauce (from the freezer), whatever vegetables are left...

There are other things to use up too - oatmeal, which we'll either eat for breakfasts or bake into muffins, flour, which we'll use for pancake lunches and a batch of bagels one day, some malawach my friend gifted us with when her freezer broke - perfect for lunch one day...

How are you doing clearing out for Pesach? I'd love to hear your plan!

Thursday, March 22, 2012

My friend's freezer broke. She had a package of fish fillets in there, but her family won't eat that fish, so she didn't know what to do with it. I happily offered to help... With Pesach coming, I need to buy some shmura matza that costs more than most cuts of meat! I need to save my shekels. Who am I to turn down a package of free fish? (And she gave me some other things too! Thank you friend! You know who you are!)

She recommended grinding up and making gefilte fish with it, but after I drained off all the excess water, rinsed the fillets, patted them dry... I was about to set up my food processor.

But then I decided that if I wasn't an Ashkenazi Jew I would never dream of grinding up my fish, adding vegetables, eggs, sugar etc to it. If I lived somewhere where people fished, I would probably do something else with this fish. EVEN if it tastes a bit too fishy for sensitive pallets...

I've been reading a book about a family who lives on the Bayou (in Louisiana) and they eat lots of fish. Lots of fish fried up Cajun style in a cast iron pan. And I figured, why not? So I made some spicy fried fish. And that Cayenne Pepper really helps to cover up the fishiness of this particular type of fish.

I know fried fish is not the healthiest, and should really not be eaten often. Don't worry, we don't eat fried fish very often at all - Maybe two or three times a year! I should think we'll be ok.

Here's my batter recipe:

2 eggs was enough for the whole package of fish - beaten. in it's own bowl

breading: 1 c. cornmeal, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp granulated garlic, a generous amount of parsley, 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper. You can add more cayenne, or add ground black pepper (I ran out of black pepper and keep forgetting to put it on my shopping list. I would have used it had it been here in the house. Long story how I ran out of black pepper. It involves black pepper all over the kitchen counter and floor and LOTS of sneezing!)

I dipped the fillets in egg, then in the breading. Then I fried them in oil in my cast iron fry pan (already hot before adding the fish). Cook on both sides till golden and even some flecks of black from the pan are usually considered ok when using cast iron.

It tastes great, by the way!

Oh and I don't have my camera handy today. My husband took it to work. Or I totally would have posted pictures...

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Don't forget that thru the end of March, first time customers can get $10 off your first order from iherb.com instead of the usual $5 first time customer discount. (Offer applies to orders over $40 before discount)

Don't forget - to get your $10 discount, use code QEJ101 at checkout!

If your order totals less than $40 (it happens, I know), the same code - QEJ101 - will get you $5 off your order

In the US, shipping is free for orders over $20. International shipping costs either $4 or $6 (details at iherb.com)

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

I know that rice and lentils are served all over the world, what could they have done that made me so happy?

Well, watching ALL of my children happily eat their fill of rice and lentils today, that's what. Seriously, I have been serving a variation of rice and lentils pretty often, for several years. But never, that is, never, have my kids been so willing to eat it up. And I did NOT starve them all day. I promise.

So here goes:

Rice: lazy cook's rice: Place about 1/3 of a bag or rice into a casserole dish, add 1/4 c. ground flaxseed, 1-2 tsp olive oil (I didn't measure, sorry) and 1/4 tsp salt. Pour in water to cover and then some. Cover the dish and bake at 425 for at least an hour (probably an hour and a quarter). This worked REALLY well with the Whole Grain Round Rice I found on sale somewhere.

Lentils: 1 onion, diced, 1 clove garlic, diced, 1/2 red pepper, diced, 1 small tomato, diced. Heat olive oil in pan and add all those diced goodies. Cook till beginning to brown (don't forget to stir). Add 1/2 kg lentils (sorted, rinsed, you know the drill!), 200g tomato paste, about 4-6 cups of water, salt, cayenne pepper, and some parsley (that was an impulse. but it worked). Stir well, and bring to a boil. Lower flame, and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until fully cooked. The lentils will be soft, the water will be mostly absorbed. You may have to add another cup of water during this process if your lentils aren't quite done.
Serve hot, with tortilla chips if you can. Tastes great with tortilla chips!

Monday, March 19, 2012

Oh my goodness. It has been a long time since there was so little food in my house. We literally had NOTHING "ready to eat" today, except hardboiled eggs and some fruit, that became breakfast!
I decided if ever there was a time to bake, now is it. It's so easy to use up our chametz this way!

Today I made apple-cinnamon oatmeal muffins, and whole wheat-flaxseed bagels.

Mix the first 4 ingredients together, and let sit for 10 min. Then add everything else, and mix well. Pour into muffin pan (lined with muffin cups, if you don't want to grease your pan). Bake at 175 C for about 25-30 min. watch them, though, my oven seems to bake slowly, not sure why (at least when I use the non-convection oven. I have a double oven, one is convection but it is large, and I only like to use it when I'm filling it, the other is a small, regular oven.).

Sunday, March 18, 2012

I decided to serve our Shabbat leftovers tonight for supper - no need to stash *more* leftovers in the freezer I have decided to empty by the time Pesach rolls around (that matches my husband's commitment to make me empty all the old, useless boxes of stuff out of our miklat before Pesach).

Do you serve your leftovers as is, or do you remake them into a new dish?

Right now, I am an as is sort of person - for me the point of serving leftovers is to be able to simply reheat and eat, no fuss or anything...

What about you?

(So tonight we're having vegetable-split pea soup, teriyaki chicken, rice, carrot kugel, roast potatoes, and some fresh vegetables. I love having a low-prep night! I must figure out how to do this more often.)

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Shabbat is almost here and I was planning my menu, when it hit me that I *may* actually run out of flaxseed before Pesach.

You see, I have been using flaxseed in everything - bagels, bread, muffins, cakes, pancakes, even the sticky rice that I served tonight. I figured it can't hurt, it can only help us stay healthy, right?

Vegetarian Cholent (yes, I remembered to set the beans and barley soaking already. Wondering if I could sneak some flaxseed into the cholent? No one will notice if I do, will they?)

Potato Kugel (and I will add a little flaxseed, no one will notice since lately I've been making this without peeling the potatoes, and no complaints! I think it all depends on the potato. The potatoes I get here are very thin skinned, not like the Russet potatoes I used to buy in the old country.)

Chicken - in teriyaki/ginger/honey sauce (probably no flaxseed in that mixture, what do you think?)

Sliced, fresh vegetables. Running a little low, but I think I have cucumbers, tomatoes, and carrots still

I think I have a chocolate cake in the freezer (yes, I made it with my flaxseed + boiling water method)

So what do you think, have I gone flaxseed crazy? Is there any reason not to? (I started using flaxseed as an egg replacer when I felt like we were going through too many eggs for my comfort. It eased my conscience, puts less of a strain on my budget, and is healthy!)
Do you add flaxseed to your food?

I just made challah dough (2 kilos worth of whole wheat flour).
The first time I ever made whole wheat challah, I made the dough in my bread maker, then shaped and baked it. But it was a disaster. Way too heavy and just too unbelievably unpalatable.
I believe we've come a long way. While I am not going to give out my recipe quite yet, I am happy to say that I think I have figured out 100% whole wheat challah just fine, thank you. I make it for a variety of reasons:

Reason #1: If I make it, I know exactly what went into it. I know there are no wacky or scary ingredients... For a while, we lived in a city where the only challot you could get had yellow #5 in them! Crazy, huh? THAT was when I started to make my own challah every week...Reason #2: It's much less expensive than buying quality challot.Reason #3: I get to do the mitzvah of taking challah! Reason #4: The house smells so amazing when challah is baking!Reason #5: Baking my own breads makes me feel like a good mother. I don't know why. It just does.

Right now, Facebook fans of Shufersal can print a coupon for environmentally friendly single use baking pans made of paper. I have seen these in the store, and they are extremely popular with people avoiding aluminum, for gift giving... (just usually a lot pricier)
Get your 5 pack for just 6.99NIS! Coupon valid through 14.04.2012

If you are in the market for paint this month, you may get a bonus along with it! (I know it's just a little bonus, paint is expensive, only buy it if you were going to paint a room anyway)

Nirlat (paint manufacturer) will be distributing 500,000 NIS worth of colorful floral bouquets to customers who purchase their paints this month, at various stores throughout the country. So, before you leave the store with your buckets of paint, look for the Nirlat kiosk to claim your free flowers!

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Have you started ordering your groceries, health products, etc online yet? I remember everyone thought that by now we'd all be ordering everything online... Well, I am not convinced that everything should be ordered online, but in some cases it can save you a lot of money and a lot of time.

I recently started ordering some hard-to-find-in-Israel items from online retailers who ship to Israel (they also ship all over the world, and if you live in the USA it is so easy to qualify for free shipping! Who doesn't love free shipping?!) If you do this, you must take note of their shipping method. Those who only ship via Fedex or UPS will end up costing you a LOT more - in shipping charges and customs clearance fees - than those who ship via the Post Office.

Everyone I know here in Israel who shops abroad has their own, unique list of items s/he MUST import. For me, it's sunscreen, soaps, shampoos, toothpaste, and dishwashing and dishwasher detergent. (Before I made aliyah, I was VERY concerned that I wouldn't be able to get my tried and true Seventh Generation Free and Clear dishwashing detergent - the only one I have ever used that doesn't give me eczema - and now that crisis is SO over. THAT is real relief, I'm telling you!) That and the occasional cocoa and specialty peanut butter... or what have you. For some other friends, it's spices, cocoa, laundry detergent, vitamins, herbs, omega-3s, and more.

ANYHOW - if you have not yet ever placed an order from iherb, now is your chance to get a GREAT deal!
Through the end of March 2012, first time customers can get $5 off their order totaling less than $40, or $10 off their order totaling $40 or more, using coupon code QEJ101 at checkout.

What are you waiting for? Go check out iherb's competetive prices (many items are priced lower than Amazon and other sites) and great selection of vitamins, herbs, supplements, toiletries, grocery, household products, and more. They ship internationally for very reasonable rates ($4 or $6 depending on your order) if you keep your order to 4 lbs or less. They even have a really handy "shop by weight" feature, for when you are nearing the 4 lb limit but want to maximize your order... And if you live in the USA, you can get free shipping with orders over $20!

Think of all the gas money you can save. Now you don't have to run across town to every health food store or big box retailer (I know, I've done it), in search of the best deal. Just order it online and they ship it to you! (Just don't forget to use that coupon code - QEJ101 to get a really great deal this month!)

I haven't been posting my meal plans lately, it seems that there have been other things on my mind. But it is time to get organized again! (What better time of year to do that than in the month before Pesach?!)

I am working on cleaning out my freezer in preparation for the arrival of Pesach. I love Pesach, really I do, but sometimes all the preparations for it stress me out...

So today I served this supper:

Potato and Vegetable soup (lots of onions, potatoes, and carrots, since those are all really plentiful and cheap right now, with a smattering of summer squash and garlic thrown in for taste). I made enough to last for another 2 meals, so that will be a good thing at lunchtime tomorrow!

Leftover Vegetarian Cholent from Shabbat - I made too large a cholent and whatever hadn't been brought to the table was still pareve. Today was use it or lose it day. I served it, and some ate it...

Steamed Broccoli and Snow Peas - this was in a mystery dairy container in the freezer. I really must learn to label my frozen foods better!

Eggplant with tomato sauce and cheese (also from the freezer)

A wacky meal, but everyone found something they were ok with eating, so I guess it worked...

Friday, March 9, 2012

Tomato Soup with roasted red peppers (I made this in the crockpot: First, I pan-roasted - in my cast iron pan - onions, red peppers, and tomatoes - each separately - in olive oil. Place those in crock pot, along with 2/3 cup brown rice. Add tomato paste (I used about 1 kg for my super huge crock pot) and water or vegetable stock, salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste. Cook on high for about 6 hrs.)

Teriyaki/Ginger salmon steaks (major splurge, but they were on sale for 48.99NIS/kg)

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Right now, it's late Thursday night and I'm calling it a night. The house smells so heavenly though. I started cooking for Shabbat, and only got as far as rice pilaf, butternut squash and apple bake, and peanut butter brownies...

I've never made those last 2 things quite this way before, but if they taste as good as they smell, then these recipes are KEEPERS! I will have to report back...

This was my first survey in Hebrew, I used to do paid surveys a lot in the States. It wasn't soo hard, perhaps I'll sign up for one of the survey sites in this country... I'll think about it. Anyone do them? Any of them worth doing? Please recommend.
Thanks!

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